


Paradigm Shift

by ishie



Series: Revolution in Miniature [2]
Category: Big Bang Theory
Genre: 1000-5000 Words, 2010, Community: help_haiti, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-18
Updated: 2010-01-18
Packaged: 2017-10-06 10:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishie/pseuds/ishie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Look, Sheldon, either you answer the question or you do the dare. Those are your only options."</p><p>"I beg to differ! I can also refuse to play."</p><p>All was silent for a brief moment, then Penny did something so vile, so reprehensible, so <i>utterly depraved</i> that Sheldon had no choice but to give in to her irrational demands.</p><p>She started to <i>whistle</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paradigm Shift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [weasleytook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleytook/gifts).



> **Prompt: **"truth or dare" from the [tropefic meme](http://ishie.livejournal.com/507057.html#cutid1)
> 
> **A/N: **This is the first of eleven lightning round fics I offered at [help_haiti](http://help_haiti.livejournal.com). The lovely Weasleytook donated to Doctors Without Borders; I know you only asked for 500 words but I totally fail at brevity!
> 
> Sequel/prequel/missing moments thing for [Revolution in Miniature](http://archiveofourown.org/works/52497) which you should probably read first so this makes sense. Sorry!

_Earlier_

"Look, Sheldon, either you answer the question or you do the dare. Those are your only options."

"I beg to differ! I can also refuse to play."

All was silent for a brief moment, then Penny did something so vile, so reprehensible, so _utterly depraved_ that Sheldon had no choice but to give in to her irrational demands.

She started to _whistle_.

Sheldon clapped his hands over his ears. "Fine, you win! I accept the dare!"

Although he couldn't see it, he knew that Penny's inevitable triumphant grin would be nearly as infuriating as her transgression. Her foot jiggled against his in the darkness, and Sheldon had to fight the instinct to grab out for it as a solid reminder that he wasn't floating in a void.

"Right, okay, so since you won't answer the question, my dare is... All right, _you_ have to say something _nice_ about Leonard's research."

Sheldon was tempted to give her a double strike - one for the whistling and another for her ridiculous dare - but she'd already racked up no less than a half-dozen since the elevator doors had shut.

He wasn't foolish enough to tell her that, not until they'd been rescued, anyway.

"Any day now, Sheldon."

He sighed. "He has somehow managed to not completely fail at replicating van Oudenaarden's experiment."

There was another brief moment of quiet, then Penny muttered, "I guess that counts."

_Later_

"Truth."

Penny hesitated. There was something she'd always wanted to ask, and now the darkness of the elevator car had given her the courage to try. They'd stuck to mostly impersonal silly questions and dares - with maybe a little more prying on her part than his - but she couldn't resist the urge.

"How did your dad die?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to suck them back in. She couldn't see Sheldon's reaction but she could imagine it, his face tight, his jaw set. Looking away from her even though neither of them could see anything.

"I'll use my forfeit now, thank you."

His voice was brittle, forced. Penny sat on her hands to keep from reaching out for him. He didn't exactly welcome it at the best of times, and this certainly wasn't one of those.

_Much earlier_

"How have you never played Truth or Dare? _Everybody_ plays Truth or Dare."

"And when would I have done that? While I was working on my first-"

"You know what, let's just play. I'll start." Penny settled back against the wall again and waited for him to ask which option she wanted.

And waited.

And waited.

"That means you ask me, Sheldon."

"Oh." Another pause, then, "You should have specified."

Penny groaned. "Oh my God, I pick truth, okay. Just ask me a question."

"How long is the retrograde of Mars and how often does it occur?"

"Shel_don_!"

"What now?"

"Ask me something I have a chance in hell of answering!"

"This entire farce of an activity would go much faster if you would lay out the ground rules before the game begins."

"Just... The point is to ask me something you know I wouldn't answer unless I was forced to." She hurried on before he could start arguing that no one was being forced to do anything, unless you counted the landlord's incompetence that had trapped them in the first place. "It's supposed to be a way to find out about the other person."

"Oh, then it would be better classified as a social research project?"

"Uh, sure. Yeah. Let's call it that."

"Well, in that case: how often do you steal food from our kitchen?"

"Okay, no, I'm going with dare instead."

"Very well. I dare you to tell me how often you steal food from our kitchen."

"You can't dare me to answer the truth question!"

"Of course I can. That was not one of the caveats you outlined."

"Then I'm using my forfeit."

"So early in the game? Penny, Penny, Penny."

Sheldon's laugh really did sound like a supervillain's in the dark. She was so going to make him admit to all the times he'd ever been wrong.

In his _whole life_.

_Even later_

She called first to say she was coming over. Sheldon unlocked the door to the hallway, then sat down on the couch to wait. Within seconds he was stalking across the room to his desk, where he lasted all of 27 seconds before bounding to his feet again and pacing the length of the kitchen.

When the first knock landed on the door, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Penny never knocked. Penny let herself in, made a mess of his things, spilled hot sauce on his laptop, stole milk, locked her keys in her car and had to sleep in what used to be Leonard's room...

Sheldon swung the door open. "Koothrappali, I don't have time for your-"

But it wasn't Koothrappali. Or Wolowitz. Or Mr Dershowitz from the sixth floor, who thought Sheldon was a plumber and continually harassed him about blocked drains.

It was Penny, with her studio pass still draped around her neck and a bag of takeout in one hand.

"You never knock," he said. Of course she already knew that, and by knocking this time, she had rendered his statement moot before it had formed. Nevertheless, he said it.

Penny just smiled, her eyes a little too bright. "So, before I come in," she said, then stopped and shifted the bag of food to her other arm. "Okay, the thing is, I know it's been, like, way longer than six months but, um."

She faltered and fiddled with the bag of food, and Sheldon held his breath until she spoke again.

"I think it might be your place to interfere now?"

Sheldon gripped the door until his fingertips ached, his knuckles standing out against his skin, white as bone. "Truth?"

Penny shook her head and took a step closer. The paper bag from Siam Palace rustled in her grip, the edge of it brushing the front of his shirt.

"Dare," she said.

_Much, much later_

"And you better not even think about using a forfeit this time, Sheldon."

**Author's Note:**

> Started: 17 January 2010  
> Finished: 17 January 2010


End file.
